?Good Will and Ancestral Sin The wars between good and evil are many and come in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes they’re obvious and other times they’re masked though they are without a doubt the most familiar battles occurring on earth. In J. R. R. Tolkien’s Fellowship of the Ring, the struggle for power over Middle-Earth and the formation and battle of opposing forces of good and evil is the primary focus in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The main conflicts seen and foreshadowed in FoTR are man versus man, and man versus nature.

What is considered good and evil is often subjective in today’s society though general moral guidelines are followed by most; which isn’t to say that Tolkien’s characters are transparent or black and white in their personas. In situations of man versus man war, there is always a victor but there is always tremendous loss in the name of ‘good and evil’ and when nature fights back against man’s abuse, nature will always have the upper hand. In the greatly complex and metaphorical world of LoTR and Middle-Earth, the Fellowship of the Ring introduces the reader to the onset of a struggle and imminent war almost instantly.

After Bilbo Baggins’ retirement and Frodo’s inheritance of the Ring of power, he is immediately plunged into a growing world of trouble and delayed conflict against the far-spreading evil of Sauron and his land of Mordor. Frodo is surrounded by a strong company of friends, including Gandalf, a wizard aiding him in his journey. Frodo is troubled and discouraged by his quest and tells Gandalf “I wish it need not have happened in my time,” “So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us. The world will be at war and all sentient beings, even often neutral elements of nature will be manipulated or forced into taking sides in the great battle between good and evil. Evil influence spreads across the land and can’t be ignored by the “good” occupants of middle earth in their fear of doom, though they may try to deny it for some time: but as Gildor tells Frodo, “The wide world is all about you: you can fence yourselves in, but you cannot for ever fence it out. ” As the fellowship of the ring is assembled and forces of good gather against the growing evil there is also the imminence of betrayal by friends and allies.

In FoTR betrayals are experienced on small scales and plot altering levels, the latter mainly carried out by Saruman, a once powerful ally. Saruman’s inner darkness grows as he studies Sauron’s witchcraft resulting ultimately in his corruption and lust for the ring of power. Elrond says about Saruman that “It is perilous to study too deeply the arts of the Enemy, for good or for ill. But such falls and betrayals, alas, have happened before. ” His scheming causes much trouble for the fellowship and the good of the world long before they know anything of their fate.

In the struggles between good and evil, evil is the provoker. The good hold the peace and do not seek out the evils that often find them and sometimes present themselves in the form of gradual temptation that can corrupt any honorable being if it is well masked. Metaphorically to us, Elrond tells the fellowship that “if any of the Wise should with this Ring overthrow the Lord of Mordor, using his own arts, he would then set himself on Sauron’s throne, and yet another Dark Lord would appear. And that is another reason why the Ring should be destroyed: as long as it is in the world it will be a danger even to the Wise.

For nothing is evil in the beginning. Even Sauron was not so. ” Betrayals can be as petty as Boromir’s attack on Frodo, long foreshadowed by his longing for the ring to wield its power with the goal of saving the people of Gondor and still have drastic consequences; or none at all but still illustrate the (even fleeting) corruption of a good soul. “It is not despair, for despair is only for those who see the end beyond all doubt. We do not. ” Good can be fought for in small everyday situations and triumph. It is the indifference of the honest and good that pave the road for the actions of evil.

Author: Brandon Johnson

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